Lifting jack



Aug. 21, 1945.

G. E. LE VEQUE' LIFTING JACK Original Filed Nov. 8, 1940 In "a w e ir -f M4 4 .9 m

i 4 0 H 3 o g Z Z Flam J.

' i on the line 2--2 PatentedAug. 21,1945

U STATES TENT emce- Substitutedforabandoned application Serial No. 364,801,November 8, 1940. This application January 31, 1945, Serial No., "75',4 05 i I 3 Claims. 01.254597) t This application is a substitute forumy aban cloned application Serial No. 364,801 filed on Novemberfi, 1940. H t i j a i My invention relates to an improvement in liftingjacks. j i

1 The object of the present invention is to provide a light, simple form of lifting jack, consisting of a number of parts and onewhich can be manufactured at aminimum expense and marketed at an attractive price. i i

i A further object is to provide a structurein which the component parts, when once assembled thereafter become a single unit, that is to say, all parts in one mechanism; l

Another object is to provide a jack which will occupy relatively small space when carried in a car, light in weight so that it may beeasily lifted andplaced in position and,-above all, which is capable of being operated easily and with very slight exertion-of effort on the part of the operator whether man, woman or childs With these and other objects in view,the present invention consists of 'a rack bar extending upwardly from a suitable base, and axhousing through which the rack bar extends and within which housing there are rotatably mounted suitmechanism which will be hereinafter fully de- 7 ,scribedand pointed out in theclaims.

. In the accompanying drawing: i

Figure 1 is a View in perspective of my improved jack.

Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view,

of Figure 3, looking toward the right. t

. Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view, on the line 3--3 of Figure 2. t

Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional line 4--4 of Figure 3. i Figure 5is a vertical sectional view on the line 5-,5 of Figure 3 looking toward the right. i

4 is provided which contains the operating'mechnanisms. The housing 4 is more or less cubicalin shape, open at the top and bottom as indicated by numerals 5 and 6 and provided on two opposite sides with the gores 1 and 8 which are employed as a lifting head and which are designed to engage the bumper of thevehicle whichyis to i raised. One of the internal corners of the housing, which may be formed by casting, is shaped suflicient area between the housing 4 and the rack I to provide the'necessary strength andto take careof any lateral thrust due to the weight of the object resting upon the jack when infuse.

The mechanism for operating thejack which really constitutes thespirit of my present inven tionfwill now be described. A worm I0 is mounted to turn within the housing, as shown in Figure 2. The ends of the worm H) are bearings and 12 which bearings are rotatably supported in openings, 13 and 14 in opposite walls of the housing 4. At one extremity of the worm II] is a pin I5 which maintains view on the i The numeral I represents a rackor rack tooth economy and lightness is desired, the base 3 may be omitted andthe rack l permitted to bear directly on the pavement or road surface when the jack is in use.

In the presentform of my invention, a housing worm gear,3ll has a collar,32, the face of which the worm in assembled position. .At the other end of the worm l 0, a ball bearing indicated as It is provided. This is rotatably mounted on the J bearingportion I2 of the worm. I0 which, it will be noted is of lesser diameter than the remainder of the worm-and consists of an inner race l1 whose plane facebears against the housing 4 and a complementary outer race also rotatably mounted; each race having a grooved raceway as at I9 and 2| respectively. A number of ball bearings are disposed in the raceways to take the thrust which is in the direction of the arrow 23 in Figures 2 and 5 when worm I0 is ,rotatedfor this is the handle 25 and hold-0n nut 26, both of which may be tapped to engage this thread.

A shaft 21 extends through openings 28 and 29 in opposite walls of. the housing 4. Rotatably mounted on shaft 21 area worm gear 30, and a pinion 3|. The worm gear and pinion'are secured to each other and turntogether on shaft 21. The pinion 3| has relatively few teeth but is designed to have great strength and meshes with rack I, this combination being clearly shown in Figure 2. Inspection of Figure 3 will show that bears against the inner face of housing 4. Similarly, pinion 3| has a bearing surface 33 which bears against the opposite internal face ofhousj The worm gear 30 meshes with worm l0.

right to left in, Figure 2 through holes l3 and I4 until the collar thereon formed by the reduced diameter bearing section l2 seats against the interior of the left wall of the housing. The

bar, a worm gear, pinion secured thereto, said worm gear and pinion being mounted on a shaft journalled in two opposite walls of said housing, a worm journalled in the other two opposite sides of said housing and meshing with said worm gear, the teeth of said pinion meshing with said rack teeth, means for turning the worm, endwise movement of the worm gear and pinion in each direction Ibeing opposedby opposite inner walls of the housing, and endwise movement of V the worm gear in response to the lowering action bearing and handle assemblies are then mounted on the worm. The combined worm gear and pinion is then taken and the teeth of the pinion meshed with the teeth of the rack I. This subof worm gear mesh properly with the teeth of worm I 0; The rack I is then supportedby the groove 9 in housing 4 previously described and shown in Figure 4. The shaft 21 which has a formed head 34 at its-right end is then inserted through opening 29 in the right wall of housing 4, through the central apertures of pinion 3! and worm gear 30, and finally through opening 28 in the left wall of housing 4. The left endof shaft 21 may then'be upset as at'35 to maintain the assembly in place.

This assembly is easy and practical and it should be noted that the housing is so designed that it counters thethrust developed in the jacks operation and holds all the components in an integrated whole. It is further apparent thatthe mechanical advantage traced through the lever action of the handle 25 and the ratios of the gears constituting the train is very great so that the jack may be operated with a minimum of impressed force. Friction, insofar as possible, is minimized with a consequent increase in efii ciency. The structure of the gear train is such that the jack is self-locking under load and is smooth and continuous in operation.

What I claim is: I

1. In a lifting jack, the combination of a lifting bar substantially cylindrical in cross-section having rack teeth formed on a part of its surface,;-a, unitary housing having a substantially rectangular hollow cross-section, notches formed in two opposite walls of said housing forming ,a lifting head, one interior corner of said housing being formed to conform to and providea bear ing for a portion of the circumference of said being directly resisted by an inner wall of said housing,

2. In a lifting jack, the combination of a lifting' bar'substantially cylindrical in cross-section having rack teeth formed on apart of its surassemlbly is then inserted in the housing 4 fromthe bottom upwards in Figure 2 untilthe teeth face, a one-piece hollow housing substantially rectangular in cross-section, a lifting head formedin the walls of said housing, one interior corner of said housing being shaped to conform to and provide bearing for a portion of thecircumference of said bar,- a worm gear 1 and a pinion adapted to rotate togethen'and to be in+ serted in said housing, said worm gear and pinion being secured therein by a pin transversing op posite walls of said housing, a worm, a'shoulder andl bearing formed at one 'endmof said worm, said worm adapted to bejinserted through journals of the otheriopposite walls of saiclhousing and said shoulder bearing against the i'rm'ersurface of one ,of-said walls, and securing'm'eans beyond said shoulder on said worm whereby said Worm is secured in said housing.

3. In a lifting jack, the combination of .a, rack,

a' unitary housing having a-su-bstantially rectangular hollow cross-section having notches in-the walls thereof defining alifting head thereon, and

openqat at 'leastone end, said, rackaextending' through said housing, a worm and shaft "rotatably supported in opposite wallsof sa'id housing,

a collar formedadjacent one end of said shaft and engaging; theinner surface of one of said opposite walls of said housing, retaining'means 

